"Maybe I'm being biased," Aarav looked up from his side on our lunch table. "but Mr. Speck is the best principal ever. I mean, how can one person be good at everything?"

   I had to agree on that. He had, after all, during the first two weeks in office, banned the use of hover chairs in order to facilitate social interactions. I was just glad I didn't have to fix my utterly destroyed one which got to its current state in my attempt to fix it in the first place. Also, now I didn't have to feel like I was being towered over by hundreds of condescending Modoks.

   Modok was this big headed asshole of a super villain in a floating chair 24/7 so I don't think I was wrong in comparing him to literally every other Zavolonian.

"He high fived me and told me I was going to do great in the hallway on Monday!" Minji squealed. "That's what's been keeping me going this week.'

"Everyone's a fan. How could you not be though?" Camila typed her name and ID in the school's lunch system.

   I glared at the plate of fries that emerged from her area. Sure, just having to type your ID into the lunch system to have the food appear right before you beat the torture of long lines, line cuts and petty fights. But not when you were scanned in the process, with the system recording your weight, height, health conditions and assigning you 'meals' like kale when you weren't 'fit' or 'healthy enough'.

   As my scowl spread through to the other table members' plates, I sighed at the thought of the day I wouldn't have to sneak a caramel bar after lunchtime. When I will be 'fit' enough to choose my own lunch.

"Beth, are you here?" Minji's hands waved over my face.

"Yeah, of course." I swallowed away my cravings and envy. "But uh... you were saying?"

"You were worried about Dorian being your tutor so—"

"Whoa, hold on!" I leaned closer to her as I lowered my voice. "Can we talk about this when he's not on our table less than three feet away? And I was only worried about you not being my tutor, not him. Besides, he doesn't even take Electronics."

   Minji whispered back, smirking, "And with the way you're behaving, I'm pretty sure no one can tell how worried you are."

   My eyes moved to Dorian for a second before his stony green eyes which glared in return drove them away. How on earth did he know I was staring?

"Well, I'm actually tutoring Naru Takahama at the moment and it's kind of confusing–I mean, consuming," I fought back the urge to smile at the redness that rushed to her cheeks before she continued, "so I can't help you right now. But Dorian should be able to since he took Electronics last year. Top of his class, might I add."

   Wait, he was a year ahead of all of us? Then why was he always at our table? Okay, it was common knowledge that he and Rav were super tight, but how did that even happen? And not even one Junior year friend? They couldn't all be that bad.

"And didn't you know he's the captain of the Robotics Club?" She asked.

"No. He never mentioned it," I said.

   Just like he never mentions anything to anyone. Ever. Except maybe Aarav, whom I could bet was the only reason Dorian was a member of this lunch table.

   I'd always wondered how their relationship worked. Most people knew Dorian because of Aarav but his quiet, reserved—ahem, grumpy– self had earned him a bit of a fan club.  Apparently, being moody was attractive to some people.

   I tried to suppress the heat spreading all across my face at the amused eyebrow quirk he gave when he caught me staring again.

"We have to figure how exactly we're going about this. My schedule is packed." Dorian spoke out after Minji told him I'd agreed to be tutored.

"Whenever you're free," I responded, though he seemed to be talking mainly to Minji. "I really appreciate you helping me."

"Don't thank me."

   I wasn't sure what to do with the hostility in his tone so I left it at that.

   In an instant, the previously noisy lunchroom was stunned into silence when every holographic notice board in the room switched from its images of the menu for today to be replaced with a beaming hologram of our new principal.

"HELLO STUDENTS!" Mr. Colin Speck's voice boomed.

"He never disappoints!" Aarav could barely sit still.

   The image on the screen nearest to me grinned from ear to ear before he spoke. "So I've been going through the suggestion receivers that were set up all over the school and wow, I certainly wasn't disappointed! The ideas you guys have to improve the school are outstanding!

"But how about all these ambitious ideas have a lighter start? Back at Speck Tech, I believed the majority of our growth as a company could be attributed to the healthy social environment that was not only formulated, but maintained. This is why Zavlon is having a school dance!"

"WHAT?" was followed by more puzzled than excited chatters.

"He has got to be kidding!" Minji laughed.

"That's right! This isn't another fundraising or charity event masked as a social one. Zavlon Academia is having its first school dance! And how can it be a Zavolonian one without a dash of tech? Okay, I'll admit, it's more of a theme than a dash. A virtual reality themed dance!"

   I wasn't sure how to process this. How was this even going to work?

"Click the respective buttons on your tables for more details." He clapped with a hearty laugh. "See you around students! I personally think this dance is long overdue. Am I the only one who's excited for this?"

   With that rhetorical question hanging in the air, screens riveted to their previous states.

   Minji already had her hands on the booklet containing the extra info mentioned.

   She read it out to the rest of us, "It says here that the beta test Virtuo Pack, courtesy of Speck Tech, will be made available to every student and the dance will be held right from the comfort of our homes. It has been specially designed to limit the location to the replica of the ground floor gym."

"It's still kind of normal though." Camila looked up from her booklet. "The steps are pretty basic. Pretty basic for a virtual reality dance at least."

   I skimmed through mine like everyone else.

   Step One: Wear the glasses. You will be scanned while doing so in order to validate your identity and create your avatar. The dress you wear will be scanned as well and worn by your avatar.

   Step Two: Socialise.

"Does this then mean we should have dates or something?" Camila queried.

"YES! YES JANICE! I would love to go with you!" An overly enthusiastic boy kept hugging whom I presume to be his girlfriend.

"Well, damn." Dorian kept glancing at the happy couple behind us with wide eyes.

"There's your answer." Aarav's shoulders shook from his breathy laugh.

"Oh, God!" The force of what I couldn't believe I had forgotten jerked me upwards.

"What's going on Beth?" Minji merged with Dorian's "What now?" mumble.

"I've got to go. I-I just remembered I left something, uhh... somewhere!"

"How informative." Another mumble from Dorian.

   Seriously, what was his problem?

   Not that it mattered now. What I was facing was far more important. I could only hope my long forgotten Neuroskel was still in Tunnel Six, soaked and all.

***

"Please, please, please be there!" was what I kept whispering as I squeezed through the second fence that led me to the tunnels.

   I hissed as its stray metals punished the sides of my torso for not taking my time. My steps toward Tunnel six this time were quiet and cautious. The person from tunnel three whose voice still remained a mystery could still be around.

   The urge to spew out the kale I'd just ate arose in my throat as I gawked at my spot. It wasn't only my Neuroskel that was gone. The seat I had created and the other parts of my hoverchair had disappeared. My spot was as though there had never been anyone around.

   I wiped the sprung tears that escaped down to my cheeks. Did this mean someone had finally found out my hideout and was going to tell the school authorities? I was so going to lose my scholarship. They were probably already on the lookout for a reason to get me expelled.

   A loud rumble seemed to shake the walls of the tunnel.

   I complied with the instinctive command that screamed run. One would think I would be smart enough to keep my eyes straight ahead, but the minute I had convinced myself I was out of reach was when my head took a sharp turn to meet yellow eyes as the primary source of light in tunnel six—the tunnel I was currently in.

   I didn't stop running though and I wasn't going to stop until the tunnels were completely out of sig—

   My eyes didn't catch sight of the figure in the way in time. Before I could restrain myself, I ran smack into the person with brutal force, causing my sprawl to the ground.

"OW!" I struggled to regain the breath that had been knocked out of me as I clutched my side.

   The person above me didn't seem to have an audible voice but I could see lips moving. I took the outstretched hand in my direction and winced at the pain it took to get back on my feet.

"Are you okay?" Dorian, whose voice I eventually recognised did not have the usual deep calmness that often threatened to drift to boredom as he asked. It had gone some octaves higher from what I could only assume to be worry.

  I nodded. My vision was still clearing up. The shocked look on Dorian's face combined with concern appeared to last only a second before I was once again making eye contact with an expressionless robot.

   My eyes were definitely better now.

"You should be more careful. Where were you running from in such a hurry?" he stared down at my shaky state.

"I wasn't running. The library...?"

"You know, you're not entitled to tell me. I really don't appreciate being lied to."

   This lie got less and less believable anytime I told it. And this was only the second time.

"What are you doing here?" I wondered out loud. "Lunch just ended."

   It was when his hands dropped to his sides that I realised they had been on my shoulders all along.

   Huh.

"Unlike you, I'm actually from the library," he said. "I had to leave early for a Robotics meeting."

"Oh. Okay."

"You know, we have classes in five minutes. I suggest we leave."

"You mean, I leave with you?" I regretted that stupid question immediately.

   After a scoff to match his offended expression, Dorian began to march off with a mouthful of mutters. I struggled as I tried to keep up with him and not panic from the pairs of eyes from the tunnel now etched in my head. Those eyes had such an animalistic feature. But which earthly animal appeared over seven feet tall with eyes like that?

   It couldn't be an alien... right? To the best of my knowledge, there weren't any of those species on earth. They weren't even discovered to be elsewhere for that matt—

   I stopped my tracks at the sudden realisation that hit me.

"What?" Dorian turned with a frown, obviously still irked.

"Nothing."

   Except now, my Neuroskel was in the hands of a possible threat.

A/N: Thanks for reading! 

QOTD: Any jokes you know?